A Change of Face
by TheDecieverOfLumosity
Summary: "Nocturnal, lady of Shadows, I call upon you" "What do you want, Dragonborn." "I want what you have, Lady Nocturnal. Mystery. Anonymity." "Do you know the cost of what you ask for?" "Yes, and I will happily serve you, in life and in death." "Then our deal has been struck. Here is what you must do..."


"Nocturnal, lady of Shadows, I call upon you"  
"What do you want, Dragonborn."  
"I want what you have, Lady Nocturnal. Mystery. Anonymity."  
"Do you know the cost of what you ask for?"  
"Yes, and I will happily serve you, in life and in death."  
"Then our deal has been struck. Here is what you must do."

At midnight, she rode to the gates of Riften. Neither of the guards stopped her, for they already knew who she was. Seluna strode past the houses, doors locked against the evening chill, past the dark and empty market stalls, to the stairs leading to the underbelly of the city. Though most avoided this area of the city at all costs, Seluna descended the wooden stairs with confidence, she knew that no thief in his or her right mind would dare harass her. She carefully opened the rusty gate dividing the already dangerous slums of Riften from it's even more treacherous Ratway.  
The few lowlifes that dared to face Seluna met her blade before they could utter a single word or cry for help, and before she knew it, she stood before the entrance to the Ragged Flagon.  
Even at this late hour, a few patrons still remained in the tavern, and the bar stayed open. She immediately recognized her contact, the red and white robe she wore stood out against the leather armor worn by the others in the tavern. With her hood shrouding her face, she carefully made her way to the elven woman she had been told to find. She seated herself across the table from the woman, who finally looked up from her glass of wine.  
"I have heard that you know how to change someone's face." Seluna said, her voice barely above a whisper.  
The woman smiled "Change?" she replied, only slightly louder, "I can remake your face. For a price, that is."  
"No service worth having is," Seluna said. She pulled a fat sack of gold from inside her cloak and set it on the table. "I should think that this would be more than sufficient." The woman took the sack of gold and slid it into a pocket in her robes and nodded., then stood.  
"Come with me, lets go somewhere more private so that I can work." She said, leading the way out of Ragged Flagon and deeper into the Ratway. She led Seluna to a room filled with shelves of books, enchanting supplies, and various alchemical equipment. She directed Seluna to a chair, and Seluna took a seat.  
"Now," the woman began, "just tell me what you desire, beauty, or hideous deformity."  
"I wish to be unrecognizable." She said. "The rest, I'll let you decide."  
The woman nodded her acknowledgement, then began her work. She put her hands on either side of Seluna's face and chanted words in a language lost to time. The woman's hands grew warm to the touch, and Seluna could feel her face changing. She felt as her nose and lips, both larger and fuller, refined themselves into more delicate forms. She felt her eyes grow slightly larger and closer together, and though she couldn't see it, they changed from a forest green to an amethyst purple. Her full eyebrows were magically trimmed and shaped. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see her formerly red, chin length hair grow long and dark. Even her body changed. Some of her bulk disappearing and becoming lean. To finish her transformation, the woman painted around Seluna's eyes and down her neck with black war paint, which she had previously not worn. In the end, the woman had done as Seluna had asked, she had made her entirely unrecognizable.  
The woman handed her a mirror, and Seluna admired the woman' handiwork. After a moment she said "I suppose it goes without saying that I want you to stay quiet about what you have done for me tonight."  
The woman nodded and said, "Keeping my client's secrets comes free of charge." She paused. "However, if you want to keep this a secret, you may want to consider changing your name. Every man, woman, and child knows about the Dragonborn named Seluna."  
"I know," she replied, "that is why, from now on, I want to be called Rossignol."


End file.
